


To Climb a Stone Wall

by Scalpha



Series: Non-Despair AU Naegiri [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Confession, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, Slow Build, Trust, at least at some point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27768526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scalpha/pseuds/Scalpha
Summary: Makoto is determined to get to know the distanced Ultimate Detective, no matter what it takes. He tackles this task by asking her if he can eat lunch with her, and... she agrees!Thus blossoms a beautiful friendship, that may just turn into something more.No Despair AU because they deserve to be HAPPY!!!
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Series: Non-Despair AU Naegiri [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031397
Comments: 24
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

Kyouko Kirigiri.

An absolute enigma to not only Makoto Naegi, but also the rest of his class. While all the other students of Class 78th were already fairly close and familiar with each other within the first few weeks, the Ultimate Detective remained stoic and distanced. She only talked to others when necessary, and only when they initiated the conversation. But despite her quietness, or perhaps because of it… Makoto couldn’t help but be intrigued by her. Her small mannerisms- the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, the way she always got everything done as soon as possible... He couldn’t help but admire it. He couldn’t help but want to know more about her.

That’s why he was standing in front of her now, a lunch tray in his hand. He was determined to find out more about her, determined to befriend her, and he decided that hanging out with her during lunch break was probably a good place to start. And thus, he gathered all his courage to ask her: “H-hey, Kyouko! I was wondering if I could eat lunch with you?”

Violet irises bore into the boy in front of her, who was smiling nervously. Much to the boy’s relief, she closed her eyes shortly after, though. “I suppose it’s not my place to tell you what to do. But I might not be the most talkative company.”

He did his best to suppress a sigh of relief and smiled brightly as he placed his tray on the desk. “Don’t worry about it! Well, enjoy your meal!”

“You too,” she replied, placid as ever.

As Makoto started feasting, he realized… That he didn’t really plan out what he would do next. He started weighing his options as he chomped down on his food. _‘Should I try to talk to her? But about what? I don’t really know what she likes. All I know is that she’s the Ultimate Detective… I guess I could ask about her talent and her, uh… Detective stuff. But then again,’_ his gaze drifted from his food to the mysterious beauty, who seemed to be completely focused on some papers in front of her as well as her meal. She ate very carefully and slowly, never missing her mouth or spilling anything, despite her apparent fixation on whatever those sheets were about. _‘She seems really focused. I guess those papers could be case files? I should let her concentrate, then. We can always talk later!’_

...By the time the bell rang, they still hadn’t exchanged a single word with each other. Makoto flinched as the ever-so-familiar sound rang in his ears- was the break really over already?! He hurriedly crammed his phone back into his pocket and turned to Kyouko, who was neatly stacking the papers she’d been looking at moments ago. It took him a moment to form a proper sentence. “Uh… Thanks for letting me eat with you! I hope I didn’t bother you too much.” 

With a neutral expression on her face, she shook her head before responding; “Don’t worry, you weren’t a bother at all. I’ll see you in class, Makoto.”

“Y-yeah… see you.” He was about to grab his bag, when he realized that… he had no idea what his next class was. In a desperate attempt to hide his embarrassment, he tried looking away as he shyly asked Kyouko; “Uhh, sorry Kyouko, but what’s our next class again?”

For a moment, she looked at him with an inquiring stare. Sheepishly scratching his neck, he could’ve sworn that he saw the _tiniest_ hint of a smile on her face. But if he did in fact, _not_ imagine it, then it disappeared as quickly as it came. “Maths. I’ll see you there." Boots clacking against the ground, she went ahead with as prideful a stance as always.

“See you!” Not a particularly successful attempt at getting to know her, but definitely progress, he supposed. Especially if he really did make her smile. Oh well, tomorrow was another day!

* * *

...Despite his optimism, the next few days went pretty much the same. He asked her if he could accompany her during their shared hour of freetime, she agreed, they ate in silence, they went to class. At first, it bothered Makoto that he couldn’t find an opening to talk- after all, he wanted to get to know her- but he noticed that the silence they ate in… wasn’t necessarily an uncomfortable one. After they finished lunch, Makoto usually started working on homework while Kyouko went through her school work or case files, burning through many sheets in little time. And today, about a week after their first time eating together, he had to turn to his smart classmate for help with his math homework.

“Sorry Kyouko, but can you help me out with pre-calc really quick?” The question was quiet and shy, but audible enough for the girl to understand.

“Sure. I’ll take a look,” she replied as she moved her papers and herself closer to him. After taking a moment to analyze the problem, she swiftly explained it with more eloquence, clarity, and brevity than any teacher ever could. For the first time in a while, Makoto actually felt like he understood what he was working on.

With his lips curled into a smile as bright as the sun itself, he expressed his gratitude to his classmate. “Thank you so much, Kyouko! You’re always such a huge help. I wish I could help _you_ in return somehow…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Her reply sounded like she simply stated a fact, like she simply stated that the sky was blue. After she moved back to her original spot further away from the Lucky Student, she instantly returned her focus to her own work. Makoto couldn’t help but be astounded by how hard she worked and how quickly she was able to get back into her work flow. He felt his heart burn with passion and determination, determination to persevere and finish his homework.

He somehow already felt a bit closer to her after that day.

* * *

A couple days later, Makoto returned to his original goal; to find out more about her. He never felt uncomfortable eating with her, if anything he thought that it was a nice change of pace to just get to sit in silence for a while, but if he wanted to properly befriend her, he had to find out more about her personage. It was right after he finished lunch that he set his plan into motion. “Hey, Kyouko? Can I ask you something?”

Looking up from her work, she showed no discernible emotion. “What’s wrong?”

Waving his hands in a defensive motion, Makoto attempted to explain himself. “Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry! I'm just… curious. I don’t really know all that much about you, you know? What kinda stuff do you like?”

The interest in her face was obvious as her brow moved higher up. “Why?”

“What do you mean?” 

She moved her hands up to the desk and rested her face on them, inspecting him like she was analyzing some sort of evidence. “Why do you want to know more about me? There has to be a reason.”

Nervous and slightly intimidated, he scratched his neck and searched his brain for a reason. Was it really that weird to want to know more about a friend? Or perhaps she didn’t consider him a friend yet. That would’ve been understandable, he guessed. Either way, his response was obvious. “Honestly, there isn’t really a reason… I just think we should get along well, being in the same class and all.”

“I assume that that is why you’ve been eating lunch with me, then.”

It was moments like these when Makoto wished that she was easier to read. He couldn’t tell if she was angry at him, and felt a bit of panic seep into his heart. “U-uh… is that a bad thing?”

After a moment, she shook her head. “Not necessarily. But I’m afraid I’m not here to make friends, Makoto. You should probably go to Sayaka or Hina for that.”

“No, that's wrong!”

Kyouko almost flinched at the sudden increase in volume and the determination in his eyes. Only almost, of course. “Oh? How so?”

“Sorry… that was kinda uncalled for.” Despite his apology, his gaze remained fierce, though the softness that was so unique to him never quite left his eyes. “But I don’t think you’re right! I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you, Kyouko… That’s why I wanna get to know you better.”

The silence between the two was thick as Kyouko analyzed his expression. Incidentally, she was also the one to break through it, with a ghost of a smile on her face. “I’m not really as keen on friendships as you are, Makoto, but okay. I think I’d like to get to know you a bit better as well. You’re… interesting.”

It took a lot for Makoto not to celebrate this small victory; instead, he settled for a bright smile that complimented his happiness. “Awesome! Okay, uh… Let’s see… Do you listen to music?”

“I do,” she responded calmly, “mainly classical music, though I’m also a fan of jazz.”

“I kinda figured as much! What do you do in your free time? When you’re not doing your detective stuff, I mean.”

“‘Detective stuff’? Very eloquent of you, Makoto.” He couldn’t contain the blush that crept up on him as she teased him, a small, cheeky grin on her face. It disappeared fairly quickly, though. “Anyway, I don’t really do anything special outside of work. I try to keep my focus on honing my abilities.”

His eyes widened. “Really? Wait, then what do you do to, like, have fun?”

With closed eyes, she sounded as calm as always as she responded. “I enjoy my work quite a lot. Though I suppose I’m also pretty fond of movies.”

His empathetic nature made hiding the concern in his eyes hard, though he doubted he could’ve hidden anything from the Ultimate Detective anyway. He quickly pushed those worries aside. “So, how did all that detective stuff- uh, I mean, your work as a detective start?”

She couldn’t help but let out a silent chuckle at his hick-up. Quickly thereafter, however, she followed up with a tale she usually deemed rather boring. “There isn’t really any sort of grand story behind it. It runs in the family- I was pretty much born into the profession and have been focusing on improving as a sleuth ever since.”

Mouth slightly opened, he couldn’t contain the look of admiration from shining in his eyes. “That’s so cool! Like a family legacy sorta thing! So you were taught by your dad, or your mom?”

Once the words left his mouth, Kyouko clenched her teeth, her brows furrowed. Makoto felt all the progress he’d made melt away, as she built up another, stronger barrier around herself. “No. I learned from my grandfather.”

Back to short answers… he must’ve accidentally said something wrong. But he had to attempt to de-escalate the situation again. “So, what do you do as a detective? I think it sounds really cool! That you help others, I mean. And you always seem so calm and composed! That must’ve taken lots of training, right?”

Her eyelids fluttered shut once more. “I take a multitude of cases, though of course every detective varies. We all have different ways to analyze and investigate, and we specialize in different kinds of cases…”

“Oh?” It was clear that he was curious by the way he tilted his head, almost reminiscent of a child listening to their parents tell them a fairy tale. “So what do you specialize in?”

“Homicide.”

Makoto flinched. She said it as though it was the most normal thing in the world; matter-of-factly, composed, without any hesitation. That was the difference between a detective and a normal 17-year-old, he supposed. “Oh wow… For how long have you been… you know, focused on h-homicides?”

Raising her pointer and thumb to her chin, she looked at a wall as though the answer was printed onto it. “I believe about five years now.”

Now _that_ shook him. He gasped for air as he processed what she just said. “So you’ve been working on homicide cases since you were _twelve?_ ”

“Well, not officially. That was around the time I started learning about them thanks to my grandfather.”

That explained a lot of things, Makoto thought. “Still, that’s crazy... I would never be able to see a dead body like that, not now and not when I was younger."

She nodded, still no hint of emotion on her face. “Hopefully you’ll never have to. It’s not a pleasant sight, no matter how often you’re confronted with it.”

Makoto was about to ask another question in an attempt to switch to a lighter topic, but was cut short by the school bell ringing and reminding them that they had to go to history class. Instead, he gave her a warm smile before grabbing his bag, attempting to end their conversation on a positive note. “Thank you for talking to me, Kyouko! I really had fun finding out more about you! Do you… wanna talk again tomorrow?”

Carefully putting her papers back into her purse as she replied, it felt like she was smiling even though her expression was as neutral as ever. “Don’t mention it. I don’t have much to talk about… But I suppose if it’s with you, I don’t mind too much. Shall we get to class?”

Once he heard her say that, he couldn’t help but giggle joyfully. “Yeah!”

As he walked back to class with Kyouko by his side, his lips never curling back down, he couldn’t help but feel overjoyed and like he’d _achieved_ something that day. He even made her smile once! Noticing that she’d slowly been warming up to him, he was determined to get even closer to her and find out more about his hard-working, passionate classmate.

* * *

As the weeks passed, Makoto found himself looking forward to lunch break more and more every day. Though at first it was weird not eating lunch with his closer friends like Sayaka and Hina, he figured that he still got to spend time with them and the others after and during school; after all, breaks were aplenty and free time wasn’t too rare either. The only person he didn’t spend a lot of time with outside of school was Kyouko, so using the lunch break to spend time with her seemed like a fair trade.

To his pleasure, Kyouko hadn’t just opened up more to _him_ , but his classmates as well. She’d started greeting them with more than a simple nod, and she wasn’t as quick to deny teaming up with others during group projects anymore. It overjoyed him to realize that he somehow managed to help her socialize more within that month they spent eating and talking together just about every day, bare the weekends.

Makoto was looking forward to sharing his break with her as much as ever, and when the time finally came, he was actually at the table _before_ Kyouko. Not the first time, but a rare occurrence nonetheless. “If only you were this early for class,” she stated with a sly grin as she arrived a few minutes later.

Makoto couldn’t resist chuckling as he realized that she cracked a joke with him. “Hey! I’m not late _that_ often!”

She placed her tray on its usual spot, sitting down so she was facing Makoto. “I’m afraid that the evidence isn’t on your side this time. You were late just this morning, weren’t you?”

Alas, he had no other option but to concede as he was hit with hard evidence. He raised his arms in a defeated motion. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry!”

With that, they got to their lunch, Makoto finishing a lot quicker than usual. He didn’t want to interrupt Kyouko while she was eating, so he decided to scroll through some social media on his phone in the meantime. He laughed at a couple of memes, but his friend didn’t seem particularly curious. After another good few minutes, she was finished with her meal and turned back to Makoto. “So, shall we continue our conversation from yesterday?”

As he heard her voice, he flinched and quickly shuffled to put his phone back into his pocket, nodding quickly. “Sure! Sorry, I didn’t wanna annoy you…”

“The thought is appreciated, but unnecessary. I don’t find you annoying at all. If I did, you would _not_ still be sitting here.”

“That’s fair.” He chuckled, “You said you had questions you wanted to ask me, right? Well, uh, go ahead!”

Calmly, she nodded. “Yes. You can’t be the only one to ask questions, after all. I have to say, I’d like to get to know you a bit better as well. Tell me about yourself, Makoto. What do _you_ do in your freetime?”

“Uh, me? Hmm… Honestly, I just like hanging out with friends, but sometimes no one’s available. I usually just play video games or read comics when that’s the case.” Though he was a bit embarrassed at how… boring his answer seemed, he at least answered honestly. That was the important thing.

“Interesting. So, would you say you’re an extrovert?”

A ghost of a smile crept onto his face as he realized how much she was engaging in their conversation today. Kyouko looked confused at his smile, but the Luckster swiftly changed the topic by answering her previous question. “Hmm… Well, I’m not really sure about _that_. I love my friends a lot, but I’m actually not the best with people I don’t know.”

With a slight, joshing grin on her face, she called him out on his contradictory behaviour. “You say that, yet here you are, talking to me. We’ve barely interacted before you just popped up in front of me, lunch tray in hand.”

Shaking his head, he responded. “That’s different. We’re classmates, after all! But I guess if I had to decide between being an introvert or an extrovert, I’d say I’m an extrovert.”

“So an ambivert, then?”

“...I guess? That sounds pretty likely, actually.”

“I see. What do you usually do with the others, if I may ask?”

That was what truly got the words flowing out of him like a waterfall- if there was anything he loved talking about, it was his friends. “Well, I spend most of my time with Sayaka and Hina, since Sayaka was pretty much the only person I knew when I got here, and Hina is just… easy to be around I guess. We do a lot of stuff together, either just us or with some of the others in our class, like Leon or Hiro. We do karaoke a lot, and it’s so much fun hearing Leon struggle to keep up with Sayaka, hehe.” His head snapped up as he recalled another event, this time featuring Hina instead. “Oh my God, you weren’t there that one time Hiro got alcohol and Hina almost skinny dipped in the pool, were you?”

Her eyes widened, revealing more of her lilac irises than they ever had to him before. Of course, she quickly regained her composure, but the surprise in her voice was audible nonetheless. For some reason, she only let herself show such emotions around Makoto. “She did what?”

“Oh, you’ve got a long story ahead of yourself…”

They’d completely lost track of time, though that wasn’t anything unusual for them by then. If anything, it was common for them to get lost in conversations at this point, with only the school bell tearing them out of their little talks; today was no different. Kyouko stood up and gazed at Makoto. “In case you forgot, our next subject is-”

“History, right?” He interrupted her with a sly smile. This time, he remembered!

...Or at least he thought so. “Math. Nice try, though.”

In an attempt to hide the hue of pink on his cheeks, he buried his face beneath his hands. Just when he thought he got her! He was about to apologize, when he heard a… rather unfamiliar sound. It sounded like a chuckle; and not the sarcastic kind that she let out occasionally. It sounded genuine, almost… child-like. He had to stop himself from commenting on how nice it was to hear something like that from her. Instead, he tried to cope with his joy by smiling joyfully as he replied. “Let’s go then!”

She gave him another one of those small smiles she’d given him every now and then before strolling towards the classroom. “Yeah, let’s. By the way, did Kiyotaka ever find out that Yasuhiro got alcohol for that party?”

Unable to resist, a slightly embarrassing snort escaped the young luckster. “If he did, Hiro would probably be expelled by now. Honestly, I’m just glad that Sakura managed to calm Hina down before she actually got naked…”

Chuckling in that sarcastic, soft way that Makoto had grown to like, she replied earnestly: “I think I’d like to spend some more time with all of you, Makoto. It seems like I’ve been missing out on some good comedy.”

His mouth widened, the corners of it reaching from one ear to the other. With the excitement audible in his voice, he looked like a puppy after his owner got home from a long business trip. “That’d be awesome! I’m sure you’d have fun, and we’d love to have you there!” His expression softened and he raised a hand to his neck, scratching it nervously as a question he’d been meaning to ask for a while came to mind. “A-actually… I just realized that we’ve never really hung out with each other outside of school. Do you… w-wanna? Sometime this week?”

Truth be told, Makoto was well aware that he hadn’t asked her if she wanted to hang out with him yet. It was mainly out of an unusual kind of nervousness; one that he didn’t feel when he asked Leon, Sayaka or Hina for the first time. Heck, not even when he asked Mondo and Ishimaru! Perhaps it was because she felt so closed off until recently, or perhaps because of the way his heart would beat so fast whenever he thought about asking her… which was totally just because he was nervous, of course. Of course...

Kyouko raised a hand to her chin like she always did when she thought about a particularly tough problem, Makoto noticed. It didn’t take her too long to reply this time. “I’m rather busy this week, actually. I have a pretty big case coming up, as well as our finals.” A solemn look found its way to Makoto’s face. Kyouko, however, continued. “Doesn’t our summer break start next week? We could meet up then, couldn’t we?”

The frown morphing into a bright smile, an infectious one, as Kyouko had found out a while ago, he nodded. As he recalled his worries from earlier though, the emotion so openly displayed on his face quickly turned into one of concern. “Are you sure you wanna hang out with me, though? I never took you for the kind of person to enjoy that sorta thing.”

Conviction clear in her expression, she closed her eyes as she replied. “I wouldn’t say I particularly mind it, I just haven’t really done it before. Besides, I enjoyed the time we spent together in school, so I don’t see why I would enjoy spending time with you _outside_ of school any less.”

Heat moved from his chest to his cheeks as he processed those words that carried so much power in them. _‘She enjoyed the time we spent together_ …’ It took him a moment to build a proper response in his head before he said it out loud. “T-that’s so good to hear! I... would love to hang out with you sometime, Kyouko! Uh, when are you free?”

She carefully brushed a rowdy strand of hair behind her ear as she pondered his question. “Well, I’m pretty loaded with cases at the moment, as I said. The earliest I’d be available would be the first Monday of the break, so in exactly a week.”

With the corners of his lips raised up high, the young boy hurriedly nodded. Why was he so worried in the first place? “That’s a shame, but I’ll make sure to keep my schedule free on Monday!”

“Great,” a radiant, yet ever so small smile formed on her lips, “I’ll be looking forward to it then.”

Mouth opened ever so slightly, he couldn't help but admire her smile. How she managed to look so stunning, convey so much yet so little with such a small gesture, was a mystery to him; a mystery he figured he might never be able to unravel. But nevertheless, he yearned to understand her better, even if it meant having to decipher every micro-expression on her face.

...He ended up walking into a wall because he wasn’t looking ahead.

* * *

Figuring out what to do was honestly the easy part, as Makoto had now realized. Since it was summer going outside was clearly the way to go, and he knew plenty of spots since he went out with friends so often. In the end, he settled for a nice park that he knew wasn’t very frequented, thinking that Kyouko would appreciate the quietness and nature. There was also a convenience store nearby should they ever get thirsty or hungry, so that was taken care of as well. The only thing that was left to do, and coincidentally also the hardest thing… was texting Kyouko about the plans. He figured out what they were gonna do the same day they decided they would meet up, but now it was already _Thursday_ and he still hadn’t texted her about it!

He plopped down on the messy bed in his dorm room and buried his face in a big, soft pillow before letting out a muffled groan. Why was texting her so hard for him?! Sure, she was different from his other friends since they’d never hung out together before. Sure, she was still a mystery to him. Sure, she was really hard-working and passionate about her work… Sure, his heart sped up everytime he thought about her, but that was just because he was excited about making a new friend, right?

Why else would it start beating so fast whenever he looked at her? There was no way it was because of her beautiful, long, lavender hair, or that cute, black ribbon that held her single braid in place, or because her smile made him feel so special and warm inside…

Unceremoniously, Makoto fell off of his bed and onto the hardwood floor as he attempted to, quite literally, _shake_ those thoughts out of his head. He rubbed the back of his head, trying to ease his pain, and looked up at the ceiling. He started processing all the evidence in his head.

His heart sped up around her. He’d been scared of asking her if she wanted to hang out. His heart felt all fuzzy when she smiled at him. He thought she looked absolutely stunning. He wanted to spend more and more time with her.

His cheeks felt hotter than the hottest summer Japan had ever seen as realization dawned on him. After a few minutes, he sighed and whispered to himself; _‘Do… do I have a crush on her?’_

The moment that thought came to his mind, he rushed off of the floor and started power walking through his room in an attempt to distract himself. There was no way, right? Even if he did like her in that way, he wouldn’t stand a chance. After all, she was the Ultimate Detective, a girl ever so proud of her family name, as she had told him. A girl so prideful, who’d been determined to carry on her family’s legacy… so determined, and… He slapped his forehead in an attempt to regain focus. ‘ _Stop thinking about it! Just pull yourself together and text her already, Makoto!’_

With shaky hands, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. His fingers missed the keys more than he would’ve liked, but he managed to type out a couple words... before deleting them again. This went on for a solid twenty minutes until he finally wrote something he thought was decent.

“Hey Kyouko! Sorry for the late text, I ended up being kinda busy bc of all the exams and stuff. If you’re still free on Monday, I thought of something we could do! I figured we could go to this cool park I go to a lot! It’s pretty quiet and there’s lots of nature, I think you’d like the calm atmosphere! If you’re not a big fan of parks, that’s fine too, of course! I’m sure I can think of something else! Text me whenever you’re free! :)”

...He had to refrain himself from using too many smileys, but he couldn’t help being possibly a bit _too_ exclamation-mark-happy. It was a bad habit, but he guessed it could’ve been worse. Either way, he stared at the message for a solid minute or two, before finally convincing himself to press the “send” button and anxiously staring at his phone as he waited for a reply.

The two grey check marks that confirmed that the message had been sent turned blue only a couple of seconds later, notifying him that she’d read the message. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the screen read “Kyouko is typing…” and considered turning his phone off. Kyouko, however, was quicker to the draw and sent a short reply. “Sure thing. Meet you in front of the main building on Monday, 12PM?”

Makoto let out a sigh of relief and victoriously pumped his fist into the air. Even if she didn’t like him back, she at least liked him enough to hang out with him! He quickly typed out a response. “Sounds good! I’ll see you on Monday! :D"

He planted himself back down onto his bed and took a deep breath in. Now the hardest part was over… all that was left was waiting for Monday to arrive.


	2. Interrogation

Sleeping proved to be harder than it normally was for the young Lucky Student on the Sunday before their meet-up. His nerves kept him awake for a lot longer than he would’ve liked, and he would most  _ definitely  _ have overslept had it not been for his three alarms that he set during his struggle. It took until the third one, which finally woke him up around 9:40 AM.

However, despite his rather small amount of sleep, he didn’t have a lot of trouble getting up- after all, the sole reason why insomnia plagued him that night was  _ because _ he was excited for the day to come.

Stomach churning, he decided he would go to the cafeteria right away since they offered just about any sort of food you could dream of- one of the things the government's funding went into, he supposed. Of course, he had to get dressed up and brush his teeth first, so he hurriedly moved to the bathroom to take care of the first task of the day. 

It took only a few moments for him to finish his morning duties, and he made his way over to the cafeteria wearing his usual outfit, with the exception being the lack of his signature hoodie. Instead, he replaced it with an olive-green t-shirt, since he wasn’t planning on getting a heat stroke during breakfast.

Even though it was summer break the cafeteria was as full as always, meaning that Makoto had to stand in line for quite a bit until he got to get his breakfast. As he arrived and got a nice, classic dish that reminded him of home- some rice, salmon, and miso soup- he was greeted by the high-pitched, energetic voice that he immediately recognized as Hina’s. “Makotooo! Over here, over here! Come on!”

Smiling at Asahina as he made his way over to her, he was glad to see her and Sayaka, as well as Leon, eating together. There was pretty much always someone at the cafeteria around this time, so he wasn’t surprised to see them… if anything, he was surprised that there were only the three of them, but he decided not to question it. “Morning, guys!”

Sayaka, whom he was sitting next to, gave him a smile that one could tell was well-practiced through her many years of idol-work. Her meal was modest as always, concerning Makoto a little. “Morning! Same breakfast as always?”

Makoto chuckled sheepishly as he was called out on his eating habits, though he wasn’t embarrassed by it. It was good food, after all! “Hehe, yeah. Force of habit, I guess.”

As he began to enjoy his meal, salvaging every bite of it, he tried his best to focus on what his friends were talking about- something about summer break, he thought? His mind, however, couldn’t help but wander off to his plans with Kyouko, his stomach still feeling all woozy when he thought about them. They were going to meet up at 12PM to go to the park and just… talk a bit. A small smile formed on his face as he remembered that she actually  _ wanted  _ to hang out with him. He was shocked at the progress their friendship had made in such a fairly short amount of time, but he definitely wasn’t going to complain. After all, he loved making new friends and he loved spending time with them-

“Hellooo? Earth to Makoto?” Leon’s loud voice tore him out of his thoughts. “Are you even listening?”

“Ah, sorry!” He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed that he completely missed whatever they asked him. “What were we talking about?”

Hina was the one to respond, raising an arm to attract everyone's attention. Her voice carried as much energy and glee in it as it always did. “We were talking about summer break, baybeeee! Whatcha gonna do first?”

In an attempt to avoid the blush that he knew would form on his face if he mentioned hanging out with Kyouko, he thought of some of his other plans. After a few seconds that he spent letting out a gentle hum, he finally responded. “Nothing special, honestly. I’ll probably visit my family sometime soon, but that’s about it!”

Leon teased Makoto by leaning over Sayaka’s shoulders and playfully hitting his arm, somewhat reminiscent of a big brother teasing his younger sibling. “C’mon, man! It’s our  _ break _ ! We’ve got, like, 6 weeks to ourselves, so we gotta plan some stuff. Sayaka, Hina, Sakura and I are gonna go to karaoke tonight. Ya wanna join us?”

As much as Makoto enjoyed hearing his friends struggling to keep up with Sayaka (except for Sakura, who was a surprisingly great singer), he knew he had other plans he had to keep up with. With an apologetic smile, he shook his head. “Sorry, I’m kinda busy today…”

The redhead couldn’t help but pout at his declination. “Man… Aight, it’s all good. We’ll ask Hiro or somethin’, he’s always down for that sorta thing.” He grabbed his sandwich and took a huge, bestial bite out of it.

After she finished taking a long sip of her tea, Sayaka looked back at Makoto and asked; “What are you doing today, if you’re gonna be busy?”

As he looked for an excuse, he couldn’t stop his face from heating up- wait, why was he looking for an excuse in the first place? Couldn’t he just tell them that he was going to hang out with Kyouko? Why was it so embarrassing for him? “Uh… Um…”

Then, he was torn out of his trail of thought by a graceful, low voice that seemed ever so familiar to him. “Is this seat taken?”

Slightly confused, Makoto turned to his left to see who the voice came from, and he was more than surprised to see that it was  _ Kyouko _ . The girl who’d never eaten breakfast with them before. He blinked a couple of times as his brain processed what his eyes saw. “K-Kyouko?”

Tray in hand, she nodded. “That is me, last time I checked.”

Makoto wasn’t the only one who was surprised, apparently; the others seemed rather bewildered as well. Hina, however, quickly broke out of her amazement and called out to her lavender-haired classmate. “Kyouko!! Sit down, sit down! We’d love to have you here!”   
It was then that Makoto realized he hadn’t responded yet. His lips curled into a shy smile, and he gently patted the chair next to him. “Go ahead, it’s all yours!”

“Thank you.” The reply was simple and brief, yet Makoto couldn’t help but feel… warm, as the words left her mouth. God, why did her words, no matter how simple, have such an effect on him? She carefully sat down next to him with a fairly common breakfast for her; two sunny-side-up eggs, two slices of buttered toast, and some coffee. No case files though, Makoto noticed. Maybe she was finally taking a break!

Sayaka looked at Kyouko, a curious expression on her face. “It’s nice to have you with us, Kyouko! How come, though? You’ve never eaten with us before, right?”

_ ‘She asked the question we all had,’  _ Makoto thought. Though he most definitely didn’t mind eating with her, and especially not her sitting so close to him, he couldn’t help but be curious about it.

After she finished chewing, the detective responded as nonchalantly as always. “No particular reason. I just saw you all sitting here and figured I’d join you. Unless you mind, of course?”

They all shook their heads in unison, though Hina was the one to vocalize it. “Not at all! It’s a really pleasant surprise, if anything! We were talking about how we’ll spend our breaks, actually. So what about you?” As she brought the conversation back to the topic at hand, her enthusiasm as infectious as ever, she had a wide smile on her face.

Kyouko’s reply came as swift as always after she took a sip of her coffee. “Not particularly much. The usual cases and whatnot.”

Hina and the others seemed a bit stunned by the bluntness of her response- except Makoto, who was used to it and continued the conversation with ease. “Seriously? Even though it’s summer break? I thought you’d at least take a break.”

Brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her reply sounded somewhat... softer, now that it was directed at Makoto. “A detective must always keep their skills sharp, Makoto. I thought you knew that by now?” 

He couldn’t help but frown at her. “Well, yeah, I know… But still! Isn’t it important to rest, too? Just- try not to overdo it, okay?”

A ghost of a smile on her face, she nodded. Hina was about to gasp at the smirk, but Sayaka quickly covered her mouth with her hands, silencing her. “I suppose you’re right. But you don’t need to worry, I don’t get exhausted easily.”

The conversation that ensued was mainly between Kyouko and Makoto, with the others focusing on watching this unbelievable occurrence- though the two didn’t seem to notice as their conversation went on and on. Their friends thought it almost seemed as though they’d been friends since childhood.

This continued for a solid ten minutes, until Kyouko’s phone unfortunately rang, tearing the three out of their trance. She furrowed her brows at it, looking a little annoyed as soon as she set her eyes on the contact. “You gotta take that?” Makoto’s question was accompanied by a tilt of his head.

She nodded solemnly before redirecting her gaze towards her classmates, an apologetic look on her face. “Yes, it’s rather important. I apologize for having to leave so suddenly. Thank you for having me, everyone.” Her classmates, still in shock, waved her goodbye as she stood up and began walking away. But before she left, she turned back to face Makoto once more. “Don't forget, Makoto. 12 PM.” The monotony in her voice was betrayed by the tiny smile that her lips had formed, though the group could only see it for a short moment before she'd left.

...A fracture of a second after she left the cafeteria, Sayaka rushed over to Makoto’s side and raised her pointer and thumb to her chin, a sly grin on her face. “Makoootooo!”

He was confused as to what was going on and raised an eyebrow to convey said confusion. Shuffling back a bit before he responded, he attempted to build up a bit of distance between them again. “W-what?”

Leon was the next to speak up, wrapping his arm around Makoto’s shoulder and staring at him with a sly grin. “You have a date?! With  _ Kyouko _ ?! Why didn’t you tell us?!”

With a loud, boisterous clapping sound, Hina joined in. “Congrats, Makoto! Aww, you two are gonna be  _ such  _ a cute couple!”

Frankly, he felt like a supernova just exploded right in front of him with how hot his face got. He hurriedly shook his head in an attempt to clear the wrong ideas those three obviously had of him and Kyouko. “N-n-no! I- it’s not a date! We’re just hanging out! Hanging out, like friends!”

Sayaka moved closer to him yet again, her eyes narrowed as she stared deep into his, and Makoto felt as though she was trying to read his very soul. Then, she sighed and moved back, pouting. “Yeaaah, he’s telling the truth. Makoto can’t lie.”

Letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, he felt like the interrogation drained him of all his energy. He shyly rubbed the back of his head. “Y-yeah…”

“Huuuh?!” Hina cried out, flailing her arms, “But… the way they looked at each other!! I could literally  _ feel _ the sparks! She seemed like a completely different person around you, Makoto!”

Nodding as she let out a sad sigh, Sayaka made sure to put her hand on the girl’s shoulder, in an almost reassuring way. “Me too, Hina…” Shortly thereafter, she turned back towards Makoto, her frown swiftly having curled back into her trained smile. Her words still carried a hint of teasing in them. Just because the Detective and the Lucky Student weren’t dating, they most definitely weren’t going to stop poking fun at the latter, after all… In private, at least. “So, what are you two up to then, Makoto?” 

Confident that his embarrassment could  _ not _ get any worse, Makoto sank further into his chair, now regretting that he’d ditched the hoodie for the day. Oh, how he wished he could have hidden his face in it at that moment.

After being bombarded with questions for a good half hour, the Lucky Student finally managed to squirm his way out of his classmate’s grasp. Relief flooded over him as he landed on the bed, allowing himself to take some time to recover from the interrogation and just focus on how nice and soft his bed felt. He rubbed his temples in an attempt to provide some temporary relief- all the blushing had caused his head to hurt… Imitating a tomato didn’t help his case though, he supposed.

The worst part was probably the fact that he still hadn’t fully come to terms with his feelings for her. While he’d always been one to get crushes quicker than others, that didn’t make  _ dealing with them _ any easier. There was always the risk of accidentally destroying a great friendship, one of his biggest fears, and that risk was enough for him to keep his feelings bottled up. This time wasn’t any different.

He sighed and pulled out his phone, planning to scroll through some social media to distract himself. That plan, however, was quickly smashed as his phone confronted him with the time- it was already ten past eleven. Scrambling off the bed, he swiftly rushed to the bathroom as he realized that he still hadn’t taken a shower, reprimanding himself under his breath. “Hurry, hurry…!”

Once he finished cleaning himself thoroughly yet quickly and finished drying his hair, he looked down at the clothes he’d picked out so casually earlier that morning, a bit of doubt now having taken its place in his eyes. Was this too casual, or…?  _ ‘Wait, no, stop! Now  _ **_you’re_ ** _ acting like this is a date!’ _ Damning his shyness, he hid his face behind his hands and could once again feel the heat begin to spread. It was like Hina and Sayaka were wearing off on him!

Hesitantly, he looked through his closet for the second time that day, weighing his options. Of course he could have gone for something more “special,” at least for his standards, but he couldn’t stop worrying that he might just be overthinking the matter. One of the options would’ve been one of those fancy dress shirts he had for special occasions, like the graduation ceremony and whatnot, but wearing that to the park just seemed silly.

His eyes once more moved to the clothes he’d messily thrown onto his bed before he rushed to the shower, and he took a better look at them. Wearing something ‘special’ just seemed silly- after all, he was Makoto. Someone known for his lack of uniqueness. And thus, he metaphorically kicked himself in the rear and walked over to the clothes that he wore just a bit earlier; an olive shirt, black jeans, and his jacket.  _ ‘No need to wear anything special, Makoto… you’re just worrying too much again! Just remember: You’re hanging out with a friend. You’ve got this! ...Wait, what time is it?’ _

Turning on the phone that he tossed next to his clothes earlier, he was greeted by the urgency of time- it was already 11:55 AM. Panic rushed through the boy’s body, causing his heart to skip a beat as his eyes met the display, and he knew that he couldn’t waste any more time- he grabbed his keys, shoved his phone into his pocket, and essentially  _ leaped _ out of his room, almost forgetting to lock it.

His dash attracted a couple of stares, but since he was completely focused on his goal, he barely even noticed. Finally, he arrived only a bit late, since the dorms weren’t too far from the main building, and was greeted by Kyouko’s serene voice. “You didn’t have to run, you know?”

Raising his hand to convey that he needed a moment, he attempted to catch his breath as quickly as possible. It still took him a couple of seconds, but once able, he swiftly redirected his gaze from the ground to his friend, seeing a slight, smug grin on her lips. He couldn’t help but let out a sheepish laugh as he realized that this was really happening now. “Sorry… I completely lost track of time in the cafeteria.”

A joking sigh left her as she crossed her arms. “And even though I made sure to remind you during breakfast.”

Of course, Makoto couldn’t tell her that the others were teasing him and keeping him trapped there, so he instead decided to simply take the blame on himself. Looking away in an attempt to avoid the schooled eyes of the detective, he scratched his neck. “Yeaaah, that’s my bad… I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve only been here for a couple of minutes.” She gently shook her head before turning away from Makoto and looking around. “Shall we get going then? I’m afraid I don’t know where this park you talked about is, so you’ll have to lead.”

Reinvigorated by the reminder of where they were going, Makoto jumped back up from his slumping position like a bunny, the smile on his face bright as ever. “Of course! It’s a little long, like twenty-thirty minutes by foot. Let’s get going!”

Unable to resist, Kyouko found herself infected by the boy’s enthusiasm and attempted to hide the small smile on her face with her hand. “Yes, let’s,” she simply stated as she walked alongside him.

Makoto couldn’t help but feel a bit shy as the two of them made their way out of school grounds. After all, this was not only their first time hanging out, but also their first time leaving their usual vicinity as well. Lost in his thoughts, he was struggling to remind himself that this totally  _ wasn’t  _ a date, and after a few minutes, he finally managed to force some words out. “So, how come you joined us at breakfast today? Not that I minded, of course, I really enjoyed it, but y’know…”

Raising an eyebrow at his inquiry, she seemed rather surprised. Makoto couldn’t help but worry that he might have said something that offended her. “I told you last time, didn’t I? I’ve been meaning to join you more.”

Shooting her a wide smile, Makoto hoped he could share some of the glee he felt as she said that. “That’s so great to hear! Did you have fun?”

Kyouko couldn’t help but nod with a ghost of a smile on her lips. “I’d say so, yes. It was nice to spend some time with you and the others. I can definitely see why you say you get along well with Asahina.”

He chuckled in response. “I’m really glad! By the way, you know that you can call her Hina, right? We all do it.”

Brows furrowed in concern, it took her a moment to respond as she pondered how to put what she wanted to convey into words. “Yes, I’m aware. But I’ve never been one for nicknames, to be honest. Maybe in the future, I’ll reconsider.”

“That’s valid!” His response was cheerful, the smile never leaving his face.

Silence returned between the two, though it was as comfortable as ever. For the first time that day, he directed his attention towards the weather; cheerful and bright, the rays of the sun shining upon them, supplying them with a comfortable warmth. Not too hot, not too cold. Definitely the perfect weather for an outing, he thought. It almost made the city that he’d grown so used to during his time at Hope’s Peak feel… new, refreshing, calming. He couldn’t help but be excited for the day to come, though said excitement was also tainted with nervousness.

Desperately hoping that Kyouko would enjoy the park as much as he did, he supposed that the only way to find out would be by taking her there as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I've decided to split chapter 2 into two chapters; two and three! Chapter three is coming very soon, so I hope you're looking forward to it and that you liked this chapter as well! <3


	3. The totally-not-date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just two buds hanging out, getting emotional, talking about their past, making flower garlands....... just the usual.

The walk was rather long, Kyouko thought as she looked at her watch and noticed that a good twenty minutes had already passed. They’d taken plenty of odd turns that confused Kyouko quite a bit, and she began to inevitably worry that Makoto may have gotten lost… Until they arrived in a district that made it hard for Kyouko to believe they were still in the same city that was so boisterous and bustling with activity mere moments ago. There were plenty of small stores that gave the area a more rural aura than anything else, as well as a… homely atmosphere, if she had to put it into words.

“Is this even the same city?” It was a valid question considering just how different from before it seemed, but according to Makoto’s enthusiastic “Mhm,” it was. “How did you even find this area, if I may ask?”

As he continued walking along the sidewalk, waving at some of the store clerks on occasion, he couldn’t refrain from blushing as he shyly chuckled. “I go on walks a lot, but at some point just walking the same way gets boring y’know? So one time I just decided to take a different route. Then I... got lost and found this place.” 

Covering her mouth with her gloved fist, she chuckled quietly. “For some reason, I am not surprised.”

Had he not been blushing already, her teasing tone of voice would’ve pushed him over the edge for sure. He pouted, but decided to change the topic in an attempt to make her forget the rather embarrassing tale. “I like it a lot ‘cause it’s a nice change of pace from the other parts of the city. It’s nice and calm, you know?”

“Yes, I agree. It’s definitely a nice area.”

After a few more minutes of comfortably strolling across the serene town, Makoto suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to face Kyouko once more, a gentle smile on his face and his voice filled with glee. “There, that’s the park! I really think you’ll like it!”

The enthusiasm she saw in his eyes reminded Kyouko of a young child going to an amusement park for the first time, and she had to suppress a chuckle. A juicy green covered the area, contrasted by the brown of a gravelly pathway that seemed to go on for eternity. “You’re right. It really is rather stunning. I didn’t expect such a tranquil place to be so close to the city…”

He shot her a thumbs-up, grinning from ear-to-ear. “It gets better! The best part is near the end of the park.”

Tilting her head, she attempted to figure out what he meant by that, only to come to the conclusion that he hadn’t given her enough hints yet. Thus, she simply vocalized the question in hopes of an answer. “Oh? And what’s that?”

Once more the lad stopped walking, raising his head to the clear sky and considering whether or not he should tell her. He decided against it, shaking his head as the grin never left his face. “It’s a surprise!”

Normally, Kyouko wasn’t too big a fan of surprises and the like; not knowing something was a detective's worst enemy, and her previous experiences with surprises hadn’t been too kind on her either. But for some reason, she couldn’t help but be curious and genuinely look forward to the surprise. She’d solved so many cases in the past, yet why she felt that way remained a mystery to her even now. “Alright then, I’ll go along with your “surprise,” Makoto.”

Her boots grinded against the gravel of the pathway for a solid few minutes, and she couldn’t help but notice that the park was surprisingly barren in terms of people. With the exception of a couple people sitting on benches and enjoying picnics it was rather empty, which was surprising considering the beauty and nature that place held. The air was fresh and calming, and Kyouko was incredibly glad that Makoto thought to show her this place… and an odd feeling got caught in her chest once she thought about it, for some reason.

Before she could ponder on it any further though, the boy in front of her stopped once more and beamed at her like the sun itself. In a presenting fashion he spread out his arms to redirect Kyouko’s focus onto the area he’d wanted to show her, slightly concerned whether or not she would like it as much as he had hoped she would. “Tada! My favorite place!”

The view that she was greeted with seemed like it was torn straight out of a fairy tale, so beautifully stunning it almost seemed _surreal_. The beautiful green had specks of all the colors of the rainbow sprinkled upon it; grass with an abundance of flowers made it seem more like a field than a park. She couldn’t contain a slight gasp. “This… looks amazing, Makoto.”

If smiles could radiate light, his would most likely have blinded her, conveying so much glee and warmth in such a simple action. “I know, right?! I can’t believe I just randomly found it!”

Somehow, the warmth radiated by this young boy broke even through the girl’s icy walls, getting a small, smug grin out of her. “I suppose this is one of those occasions where your “Ultimate Luck” came in handy, isn’t it?”

As he dropped onto the field, he giggled sweetly, analyzing the flowers around him. “I guess so! I usually think I have pretty bad luck, but hey, even a broken clock’s right twice a day.” He began picking at one flower after the other, gathering a nice collection in a couple of minutes.

In order to get a better look at the flowers the boy had been picking, Kyouko kneeled down next to him. “You say that, but you _are_ the Ultimate Lucky Student, are you not?” Wearing a smug grin as she teased him, she noticed him pout in response.

“I mean, yeah, but honestly? My luck is pretty bad. I still have no idea how I got into Hope’s Peak in the first place.”

She gently shook her head in response. “I must say that I disagree. I don’t think your luck is as bad as you think.”

Raising a brow at such an odd statement, Makoto couldn’t help but wonder how the Detective came to said conclusion. After all, she’d always been one to rely on facts, proof, logic; and according to all three of those, his talent would’ve been a sham. “I really don’t get why you think so-”

“Allow me to elaborate, then.” Cool and calculating as always, a spark of resolution was set ablaze, like it did when she was confronted with an especially tough case. “You believe your luck to be bad because of unfortunate events that have happened to you. And you’d be right; those events on their own are definitely the very opposite of what one would consider lucky. But looking at those separate events on their own isn’t the right way to go about such a topic.”

With a riddled expression on his face, Makoto had trouble understanding where she was even going with this. He gulped heavily as he expressed his confusion. “I… don’t get what you’re trying to say?”

Crossing her arms, she now properly sat down onto the field instead of simply kneeling on it, her legs feeling rather weary. “On their own those events are unlucky, yes. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s those unlucky events that generally lead to your luck. For example; how you found this park. You got lost, something very unfortunate, but then you found this rather beautiful, serene area, something I would consider ‘good luck’. That is my hypothesis, at least.”

Though at first he couldn’t contain the surprise on his face, it swiftly morphed into a wide, joyous smile. Such comforting words coming from Kyouko… they made Makoto feel like the most important and special person in the world. She comforted him with facts and logic, something that seemed so very like her, yet he would never have expected it. “I… never thought about it that way! I think I can see where you’re coming from! Thank you, Kyouko. I think I feel a bit better now.”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I was just stating my hypothesis. You underestimate yourself, Makoto. Be more confident.”

For a moment, he was unsure how to continue the conversation; how could he possibly react to such kind, comforting words? Normally, he would have simply embraced her, but he was well aware that she wasn’t one for physical contact and didn’t intend to invade her personal space. Instead, he decided to return her kindness with his own. “You know, Kyouko… I think you’re great.” As the words left his mouth, he felt his cheeks heat up and hurriedly averted her gaze. “I- I mean… I already told you how much I admire your detective work, but as a person too! You never let anything get to you, you stay objective, you’re so smart… Sometimes I wish I could be more like you, you know?”

Flustered by his words, words she’d never heard _anyone_ say to her before, Kyouko felt an odd warmth in her stomach spread through her body, until it eventually reached her cheeks. It was an unusual feeling- one she’d never felt prior to now- so she did her best to subdue it until she had the time to figure out what exactly it was. “I… appreciate it, Makoto. But I don’t think you’re right. Of course I let things get to me. I’m only human, after all. I choose to _hide_ my feelings, but that doesn’t mean I don’t _have_ them.”

He turned back to face her, a look of shock on his face. “Huh? Really? But why would you hide them? I mean, keeping your emotions bottled up doesn’t seem like a good idea...”

Though her expression was as stoic as always, for some reason it seemed to carry a solemn tinge with it. “There’s no benefit in letting others know how you feel. Besides, due to my profession I have to be careful about things such as emotions; I must remain neutral at all times, objective. As my grandfather told me; ‘the truth has no bias’.”

Brows furrowed, Makoto could hardly believe what she told him. No point in showing your emotions? Did she truly feel that way? If she did, he couldn’t let that stand. “No, that’s wrong! Sure, it’s true that a detective probably has to stay objective during cases and whatnot, but your private life is different. By letting others know how you feel, you make it easier for them to understand you, to _help_ you. You don’t have to keep your emotions bottled up all the time, Kyouko…”

Folding her hands professionally and resting her chin on them, she analyzed his determination and vigor, finding a certain charm to them- but this was no time to think about such frivolities. “I’m sorry Makoto, but while that may be the case for _you_ , I am in a different situation. I can’t be as open as you are… and to be frank, I worry that, if anything, you are _too_ open.”

Confused, he tilted his head. “Huh? What do you mean?”

She sighed, unsure whether or not what she was about to say would upset him. But she’d been meaning to point it out, and now was as good a time as ever. “You seem to always wear your heart on your sleeve. You’re open to an extent that one might consider it naïve… no, scratch that. You’re definitely naïve.”

Confusion in his eyes, he furrowed his brows, not entirely sure how to interpret that statement. “Ouch. I like to think that my openness is one of the few special things about me!”

“Definitely. Few people are as willing to help as you are. Still, doesn’t that put you at risk of people abusing that cooperative nature of yours?”

Makoto raised his hand up to his chin and started thinking, his eyes directed at the blue sky as though all the answers one could dream of were written on it. He couldn’t deny that people have definitely used his passive nature to their advantage, but… “Well, yeah. There will always be some people like that. But there’s even more people who… want someone to talk with. Want someone to understand them. I know that that’s what I wanted, so I want to be there for _others_. I want them to know I’m there for them.”

Kyouko’s lips turned upwards into a small, mocking smile. “I have to say that your ideals are admirable, despite their Naïveté.”

Shyly, he looked away, as though being unable to see her would somehow prevent her from seeing _him_ as well. “Yeah… I guess they are naïve. I can see why you think they’re silly.”

“Not at all.”

Surprised by her answer, Makoto looked back up. He expected her to agree, in all honesty. “Huh?”

“I believe that your optimism and openness is what brought our class together. You’re the one who arranged the first group meetings, right? You should give yourself more credit. Wearing your heart on your sleeve is dangerous, which is why I’m worried. You risk getting hurt by the ones you care for... but in a way, that just makes you all the braver.” For the first time, the smile that Kyouko gave him wasn’t just a small grin. Her lips were curled higher up than they normally were when she smiled. “You, Makoto, are the heart and soul of our class. Pride yourself in that.”

Makoto could have sworn that his heart stopped the moment she smiled at him, more radiant than the very sun itself. His attempt to say something positive about her and return the kindness she gave him just got _completely_ reversed. A desperate attempt to hide his embarrassment, he covered his face with his hands, unsure what to say. He settled for simple words… “T-... thank you, Kyouko… that, uh, really means a lot to me.”

She simply nodded. “Of course. I should thank you as well.”

Still flustered, he tilted his head. “Huh? W-why’s that? I haven’t really done anything.”

Eyebrows furrowed, she was ready to rebut his statement and shook her head. “That’s not true. I…” An odd feeling grew within her chest. Did it get hotter or why was she feeling so warm all of a sudden? Why was she having trouble vocalizing her thoughts? She knew that she wanted to thank him for talking to her, for making her feel like she could talk about herself and her past, for making her feel comfortable… So why did she feel such a massive lump in her throat whenever she was about to say it?

Stunned at the ever so slight tint of pink that her cheeks were stained with, Makoto couldn’t help but be a little worried. Was Kyouko feeling sick, or…? “Are you okay?”

Torn out of her thoughts, she quickly regained her composure and buried her confusion deep within her soul for the time being. “I’m fine, don’t worry. As I was saying, I should thank you for… showing me such a breathtaking park.” It wasn’t what she had in mind, but it wasn’t a _lie,_ she supposed.

Lips stretched from ear to ear, he hurriedly reached for his bag and started digging through it. “Hold up, I know how to make it even better!” Though it took a while to finish his search, considering how unorganized his bag was, he finally found what he’d been looking for.

“A sewing kit?” She couldn’t help the bewilderment in her voice. Out of all the things he might’ve pulled out of his bag, a sewing kit was definitely not one of her suspicions. 

“Yeah,” his voice was as full of enthusiasm as always, “I figured we could make some flower garlands! I used to make them all the time with my little sister, so I think I’m pretty good at them!” It was then that Makoto realized that she might not have been the kind of person to enjoy things like that, so with a few droplets of sweat rolling down his neck out of nervousness, he attempted to make up for his inconsideration. “U-uh, unless you don’t want to, of course…”

Trying to calm her heartbeat once more, she raised a hand to her chin and considered. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to make flower garlands, nor do I see the purpose in making one if I’m being honest. The only thing we could do with them would be to give them to one another…” ...Why was the heat back again? Why was she struggling to stop it from reaching her cheeks? Why was her stomach feeling all sick again- and why did the sickness feel… oddly nice? Unsure and confused by her feelings, she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I suppose… If you promise to accept it, and if you’re willing to teach me… I don’t mind.”

Unable to hold back, Makoto could feel his cheeks light up again once the proposal of teaching her came up. Averting his gaze and trying to think of a response, he settled on expressing his excitement with a gentle yet embarrassed smile. “O-of course I don’t mind! I’d love to teach you and I’d be more than happy to, uh, get a flower garland from you…” Okay, he couldn’t help but think that this seriously started to sound more and more like a date. But no, of course it wasn’t! Just friends making flower garlands and giving them to one another. Completely normal.

Yeah.

* * *

After Makoto finished his garland in record time, Kyouko took her time to admire it. The flowers he used were gorgeous; some white, some pink, some a pale red- all coming together to form a stunning, colorful wreath that one might have thought was made by a professional. It was unexpected, considering that the normally so clumsy Makoto, the one who commonly tripped over nothing, was the one who’d crafted it- and in so little time, nonetheless- but she supposed she should have expected as much, since he’d been the one to suggest it in the first place.

Kyouko’s, on the other hand, was clearly that of an amateur; though Makoto helped her pick out pretty, matching colors, the sewing work was messy and unorganized. It reminded her of when she first tried to learn how to sew years back only to end up giving up rather swiftly due to her frustration, and she most likely would have done the same thing right about now… But Makoto managed to swiftly calm her down with his enthusiasm, infectious as ever. God, how bright his smile was. “You did amazing! I can hardly believe this is your first time!”

Once the words left his mouth, she felt all the tension leave her body. A ghost of a smile crept onto her face, though her voice showed as little emotion as ever. “I appreciate it, but that’s only thanks to your help. I can’t imagine how awful it would’ve turned out had I attempted this on my own.”

He laughed in response. “Hey, everyone needs a teacher! Honestly, you should’ve seen my first one. Komaru made so much fun of me back then!”

Silence took over between the two, and for the first time in a while it was awkward and stuffy, like they both wanted to say something but couldn’t. She looked down at the garland she crafted and recalled her words from earlier… now was the time she was supposed to give it to him, right? Considering that she’d never done anything like this before, she supposed her confusion was validated. “I’m assuming that now is the time we exchange our garlands, yes?”

The bluntness of the question tore Makoto out of his thoughts. This was a little embarrassing to be frank… but he nodded in return and held out his hand-made flower wreath. “Y-yeah! Here you go, Kyouko.”

Carefully, she placed her own garland on the field next to her before taking hold of Makoto’s and admiring it once more. Every single flower was connected so seamlessly, it truly amazed her that he produced something of such high quality in only a few minutes. Finally, with as placid an expression as always, she placed it on the crown of her head. “Is this okay?”

Makoto’s heart was about to implode. Seeing her wear something he’d been working so hard on… She was already absolutely gorgeous- and he _knew_ he shouldn’t say that, dang it- but God... He truly loved that girl, didn’t he? Why else would he feel as though Zeus’ lightning itself struck him, sending an oddly pleasant electric current through his very veins and spine?

“Makoto?”

Ah, right, he had to respond. “Y-yeah, that’s perfect!” Of course his voice just had to crack, embarrassing him even more than he already was. He hurriedly averted his gaze, trying his best to calm his nerves and especially his cheeks, to little avail. The attempt was interrupted by something suddenly moving in from his peripheral vision, and as he turned to look at it, he saw Kyouko’s garland.

Though she couldn’t help but feel a little bad giving him something that genuinely paled in comparison to his work, a deal was a deal… And he promised to accept it, so why was she still nervous? “Here you go. Let’s hope it doesn’t fall apart, shall we?”

With shaking hands, Makoto gratefully accepted the garland, mouthing a quiet ‘thank you’ as he gave it another close look. Kyouko may have considered it ‘messy’ and ‘subpar,’ but despite the occasional slip-ups she made, he could tell that she sincerely gave it her best. It was genuinely good for a first attempt, and Makoto couldn’t help but feel… honored, as though he was being crowned king with the very flower crown she’d crafted. Thus, he carefully placed it onto his head, his smile never wavering. “There you go, it didn’t fall apart! I told you, you did great! And, uh… t-thank you, again.”

“...Of course.” At this point, Kyouko was considering whether or not she may have some sort of cardiac issue to worry about. Her family didn’t have any history with such issues- at least not as far as she was concerned- but why else would her heart keep misbehaving, pounding faster than it needed to?

The day had been filled with many oddities; she kept feeling warm (and not just because of the summer heat), her heartbeat was irregular, and for some reason she had trouble focusing on anything not relating to Makoto… As far as she knew, this was not a part of friendship- complete and utter focus on but one person seemed more like a symptom of… No, that seemed like a rather odd assumption to make. There wasn’t enough proof yet.

* * *

But even as the hours continued to pass by, Kyouko was never quite able to rid herself of the theories that had been plaguing her. The two kept talking about all sorts of things silly and serious alike, but during every moment of silence her mind began drifting off again, leading her to countless different hypotheses... Until she was interrupted by Makoto’s voice, sounding rather urgent and a little worried. He flashed her phone in front of her eyes, and the numbers displayed on it were rather surprising to both of them. “Kyouko, it’s already 8PM! I didn’t even notice!”

Pondering how they managed to misjudge the time so heavily, she raised her head to the sky and analyzed it. She supposed that there was no reason to be surprised; it was Summer, so of course the sun would still be up at only 8 o'clock. Yet even still, it slowly began lowering itself to make room for the moon. “That’s understandable. The sun is still up, after all… Nevertheless, we should most likely head back now, since we have a rather long trip ahead of ourselves.”

He nodded, still slightly concerned at how he managed to lose track of time so badly. The way back home would be about 30 minutes if they were lucky, but since they were on break it didn’t matter too much, he supposed. As he was about to get up, he remembered the flower garland that was still resting on his head- he’d completely forgotten about it by now- and tilted his head. “What’re we gonna do with the garlands?”

In response she simply shrugged her shoulders, wondering why he was asking her. “You tell me. You’re the professional here, what do you usually do with them?”

A slight bit of warmth rushed to his cheeks and he couldn’t help but avoid her eyes, nervously scratching his neck. Normally when he made flower garlands, he didn’t care too much about what happened to them; what mattered to him was the fun he had making them and sharing them with others… but this one felt special to him, because she made it. It was her first gift to him, and thus held strong emotional value… but he didn’t know how to express it. “U-uh… Well, it- it really depends on what you wanna do with ‘em. We can keep them or we can leave them…”

Kyouko couldn’t help but be surprised at the vagueness of his response, but supposed that she would simply have to decide. She never had too strong a connection to such things, so her first response would have been to leave them here and allow them to slowly decompose, further nurturing the beautiful field… Yet as she was about to propose her suggestion, she felt something tugging at her heart. A voice telling her that she may as well keep it.

Logic decided to argue against said voice, saying that the garland isn’t going to last long either way, but the voice didn’t let itself be silenced. It said that the few days they would have had to look at it and reminisce would be enough to justify taking it, confusing Kyouko. Why did she have a voice saying such foolish, unreasonable things inside her? And why did it seem to make sense? Why was she already walking away, and why did she still have the garland on her head? Why was her body talking on its own?

“I’d like to keep it.”

The words were simple, serene and brief as always, yet they had such a huge impact on Makoto that he felt as though he was about to pass out. She didn’t seem like the kind of person to be interested in things like that… but he wasn’t going to risk ruining the moment by saying anything. Instead, he simply rushed to her side and began walking along her, before quietly attempting to express his relief. “O-okay…”

* * *

As they made their way back to Hope’s Peak, the streets looked rather mesmerizing thanks to the orange twilight that covered them. Kyouko, however, was too busy with her own thoughts to notice; she had a case to work on, after all. And she was the client. _‘This is such an odd feeling. It seems as though Makoto has… Awoken something in me, I suppose. I would never have taken the garland with me, yet I did. I would feel uncomfortable spending so much time with someone, nonetheless talking so much with someone, but I don’t if it’s with him.'_

She couldn’t understand why. When did her feelings for him escalate from a simple companionship to… whatever they now were? And how did she not notice until today?

The very first time they met, she avoided him as much as she could. She told him her name and talent, and that was the extent of their conversation; after all, she intended to leave the school as soon as she’d settled business with her father. But before she was able to put her plans into motion, he stood there, with a tray and lunch in hand.

Though she was about to decline his request to eat with her, she supposed that accepting wouldn’t be too detrimental for her. Her plan was simple; she’d accept, he’d eat and try to talk with her, would eventually give up and wouldn’t come back… Which is why she was a little mystified when he didn’t say a single thing. Nonetheless she sincerely thought he wouldn’t come back the next day, considering how little they talked during their shared time. So when he _did_ come back, it was quite a shock to her.

She ended up not refusing that time either, though she worried that she would feel uncomfortable spending too much time with Makoto. But for some reason, it never got bothersome or anything similar, no matter how much time they spent. The silence was pleasant, almost reassuring in a way, and it felt as though he was radiating some sort of positivity, even when he didn’t say a single word… She supposed that his presence might not have been a huge problem after all.

As the days and weeks passed, she felt more and more comfortable around Makoto. He was a scatterbrain, an open book by definition, but most importantly, he was a genuinely well-meaning boy, who cared for others… even if it made him vulnerable and naive. That was the reason why she told him more about herself, and why she wanted to know more about him in return. Though she knew she couldn’t open herself up to him all the way, she at the very least wanted to give him as much as she could.

Until one day, she realized that their acquaintance had turned into more without her even noticing. She enjoyed being around him, she enjoyed talking with him, she enjoyed his stories… and she supposed that that made them proper friends now. Thus, when he asked her if he wanted to, in his words, “hang out,” she agreed… and felt slightly nervous, seeing how she never “hung out” with anyone in her life- all her relationships had been purely business-related, after all.

Said nervosity peaked as she was waiting in front of the main building, though she didn’t show even the slightest trace of it, of course. Her emotions were wreaking havoc inside of her, but she was more than experienced in concealing said feelings; it was a part of her job, after all. However, the moment Makoto appeared, so out of breath… she felt all the tension leave her body. No matter how nervous she was beneath that cool facade she always wore, Makoto calmed her down without even knowing it.

And he made her feel something entirely new to her as well. No, not just ‘something’- but so, _so_ _many_ things.

Those things, or symptoms, could have been hinting towards multiple illnesses- a panic attack or perhaps a more dire heart problem, for example- but… those seemed like rather outlandish suspicions, since the symptoms only appeared around Makoto.

...A third option came to mind, but to be frank, she had a hard time believing that it was _that_ either. She’d heard plenty about people her age going through such things, but found it surreal to believe that she herself would experience such things. Nonetheless, her heartbeat… the warmth she felt… and especially the _person_ she experienced those symptoms around- they all hinted towards one thing. One illness she’d never expected to suffer under. One word- so big, so powerful, despite consisting of only four letters.

Love. 

It was so, _so_ hard to believe, but all the evidence pointed her towards that word, practically screeching at her, paining her as though someone was clawing at a blackboard. She had so much practice at burying her emotions, yet for some reason the feeling she felt around him and _only him_ kept digging itself out, possibly because she had no experience with it whatsoever. How did one even cope with such a feeling, she wondered?

Sadly, she had no time to contemplate her options, as they got closer and closer towards school grounds. She decided to speak up, causing Makoto to flinch beside her. “We’re already almost back? I barely even noticed.”

Shyly brushing his hand through the hair on his neck, he chuckled. “Me neither, honestly… I guess you really do lose track of time when you have fun, huh?” It was then that he realized that she never specifically said that she’d enjoyed the day, and a slight bit of worry seeped into his heart. “U-uh.. did you have fun?”

She chuckled silently, moreso exhaling than laughing. His worries were as silly as always, she thought. “Of course I did. The park was rather stunning, as I’ve already said, and I enjoyed talking to you, making the flower garlands… I had a lot of fun.”

Makoto’s lips curled into a wide smile, overjoyed at her statement. “I’m so glad!” Redirecting his gaze towards the sky, still dyed a pleasant orange, he took a moment to consider what he should do once they reached the school grounds. His thoughts, however, were interrupted by Kyouko’s placid voice.

“There we are.”

Just his luck. Of course she was right; they were in front of Hope’s Peak again, the school grounds fairly barren. “It’s so empty… Kinda weird, isn’t it?”

She nodded in agreement, more than willing to share her hypothesis with him, as always. “Most likely because of the time and summer break. A lot of students must be visiting their families, and the ones who aren’t are likely either in their room or doing other things, outside of school grounds.”

A shy chuckle left his mouth, unsure of how to respond. To be frank… he wasn’t sure what to do at all. Now was the time for them to part, right? The boy’s and girl’s dorms were in completely opposite directions after all. But how could he end the day on a high note? He vocalized his confusion in hopes of help. “Uh… so…”

Though she didn’t show it in her expression, she was slightly confused by the sounds the boy produced. “Is something the matter, Makoto?”

Sheepishly fidgeting around with his fingers, he attempted to search for the right words to end the night on, though that was easier said than done. Ending such a fun day was always hard, but… even more so when you _like_ the person you spent the day with. “I guess we’ll have to split now, right? I- I mean, the boy’s dorms are to the left, and the girl’s to the right…”

“Ah… I suppose you’re right.” After spending so much time of the day with Makoto, splitting up was… odd, causing that same feeling from earlier to tug at her heartstrings once more. That stubborn, persistent feeling that just kept getting amplified as she saw the garland on Makoto’s head, as she saw how the twilight shined upon it and as it reminded her of the day they shared- a day that she didn’t want to end.

After a couple of moments of consideration that felt like they took ages, Makoto decided that it’d be for the best to just rip the bandaid off. Waving his hand with a nervous smile on his face, his voice sounded hopeful as he said his goodbyes. “W-well, uh… I’ll see you then!” Swiftly, the boy turned around and began walking away to avoid her seeing the massive blush on his face… but he was stopped in his tracks by her voice.

“Makoto.”

...To be honest, she had no idea why she called out his name. It was almost involuntary, out of reflex, but so many thoughts flooded her mind as she said his name. Say what she felt was, in fact, love… how did he feel? From an objective perspective, _how did he feel_? Had it been any other person, it may have been hard to tell, but…

“Y-yeah?” His voice was shaking as he turned back to face her. Slightly flustered by the authority in her voice, he sincerely hoped that she somehow missed the blush on his face- the blush that formed on his cheeks whenever he was reminded of how he felt. And the blush that he wished to hide for that very reason; because he had to hide his endearment for the person he may well have considered his best friend.

...But Makoto was an open book. He wore his heart on his sleeves, and with it, his emotions were out for everyone to see. Especially Kyouko, who simply avoided the truth of both of their feelings until now. For so, so long she’d been one to rely on facts, logic, evidence, and the like… But this time, something in her heart was too strong for her to ignore, calling out to her. She wasn’t sure if she was in love. But there was a way to find out. “Before you leave, I have to ask you a favor.”

He tilted his head in concern, surprised by the sudden request- but there was no way he was going to turn her down. If she needed his help, then he was more than willing to offer it to her, since he was her friend… friend. For some reason the word that overjoyed him so much whenever someone used it in regards to him, now hurt him like a thousand knives stabbing his very soul. “Uh, sure! What is it?”

She wasn’t sure where exactly she was going with this, nor what she was supposed to say, nor _anything else_ at this point. Heat began to rush to her cheeks once more, but for the first time instead of suppressing it… She welcomed it, allowing it to fuel that spark she felt in her heart, allowing it to guide her further. "I... need you to help me confirm a certain hypothesis that has been on my mind for a while now. Would you mind coming a bit closer?” The words were serene, composed- the exact opposite of what she was feeling.

Wondering why exactly she would have needed him to be closer he began approaching her again, looking up at her face. Like him, she was still wearing the garland on her head and Makoto couldn’t help but be absolutely mesmerized by her beauty. It was as though she was lulling him into a trance- a trance in which she was all he could think about. Her stunning, lavender hair that complimented the color of the flowers so well. Her lilac irises, such a stunning shade he felt like he may well have gotten lost in them… How could he not have loved the woman in front of him? Finally, he managed to pull himself back into reality, stuttering on. “A-ah… so, uh, wh-what now?”

Standing closer to her now was the victim of her unexpected adoration, standing half a head shorter than she did. She knew he’d been insecure about his height, but couldn’t find herself understanding why. He looked adorable… though, she supposed, some men did mind being called that. Either way, it was part of the reason she felt the way she did; his looks, his personality, his very _aura_ \- it all exerted _hope_.

Lilac eyes meeting his pale emerald ones, their gazes were locked onto one another. All the hesitation Kyouko had left vanished the very instant their eyes met, causing that cursed warmth, irregular heartbeat and the queasy feeling in her stomach to return. Her response was barely above a whisper, and it even surprised _herself_ that she managed to retain her stoic tone of voice. “Close your eyes.”

Gulping, Makoto obliged, feeling rather agitated at her request… or command? He wasn’t entirely sure, truth be told. His lids shut, he felt sweat dripping down his neck onto his back- why was he so nervous?

His question had been answered in the form of a gloved hand cupping his cheek. Makoto could feel his heart skip a beat as her breath suddenly met his skin. When did she get so close, and why? Did he have something on his face, or-

A pleasantly sweet, yet subtle scent made its way into his nose… lavender, perhaps? Ah, and what was that soft, velvety sensation on his lips? As he opened his eyes, why was Kyouko so close all of a sudden?

...The very moment realization struck the boy, he felt as though an electric current began to flow through all his veins, causing his body to tense and every single hair on his neck to stand up. Soft lips met his own… Kyouko’s lips. Kyouko was kissing him. Kyouko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective, the girl he’d fallen in love with.

If her heartbeat was fast earlier, then now it may as well have been compared to a high-speed bullet train. It was pounding against her chest, but in an odd way it was comforting and relaxing, even though it should have been the very opposite. She felt as though the entire world shut down around them for a moment, leaving only the two of them as they shared a loving, gentle, and curious kiss… A kiss that definitely answered her theory. After a short eternity she let him go, leaving the boy absolutely flabbergasted.

“I see… Most curious. Thank you Makoto, that definitely answers my question.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! I sincerely hope you enjoyed this fic- which is by far the longest I've ever written- and that you'll enjoy any future ones to come! Any feedback in the comments would be appreciated! <3

**Author's Note:**

> My first Danganronpa fic! I hope you guys enjoyed chapter one and look forward to the next one, as well as any future DR fics! I have plenty of ships that need someone to write a fic for them >:)


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